Review – BR anatomic sheepskin dressage girth

I’ve had this girth for a while now, but I wanted to use it properly before writing a review.

This autumn when Mr.Grumpy started shedding I noticed that the skin close to his “armpits” where getting sore and I started becoming afraid that it would turn into pressure wounds. So on I went to find a girth with fur to prevent this.

My eyes quickly fell on the sheepskin girth from Mattes, but unfortunately at a price point of 140 euro I didn’t buy it. As no one had used a sheepskin girth on Mr.Grumpy before and him being a real diva about girths I didn’t want to splurge on something that might end up not working. After some research I came across the BR anatomic sheepskin girth at Epplejeck. Normally it’s 89 euro, but as it was 25% off I I payed about 60 euro or so.

This is what BR says about girth

BR Dressage girth Anatomical formed dressage girth, lined with medical sheepskin. Due to the curved shape, this girth gives more freedom around the elbow so that damage to the coat can be prevented. The sheepskin prevents girth galls and rubs. With stainless steel buckles and D-rings. BR Sheepskin reduces and divides the pressure of the saddle, prevents pressures and injuries, stimulates the blood circulation of the dorsal muscle, contains muscle relaxing features, is hygienic and sweat resistant and is not a breeding ground for bacteria.

My opinion about the girth

Overall the quality is really good. The fur is super soft and the girth feels sturdy even tough it’s not leather. I noticed a considerably change with Mr.Grumpy wearing this compared to his normal leather one. Normally he would walk stiff for 10 minutes before he would start to walk normal again, this is now completely gone. From the minute I get on him he walks fine. He also seems a lot more free in his movements and is “dancing” more. So for him it’s definitely a more pleasurable experience.

The only issue with this girth that really bugs me is the buckles. There is no elastic around the buckles which makes it a nightmare when you have to thighten it, I always end up inbetween two holes. They also seem really loose and of poor quality which is something I’ve read others have had problems with as well.

Today I washed it in the washing machine which I guess is the only downside to fur girths, you need to clean them more often due to the sweat ruining the fur. However the girth came out just fine and the fur hasn’t fallen out at all. The only thing is that it’s gotten misscolored by the black cotton on the outside of the girth, which doesn’t really look very nice. As this is just a training girth I don’t care too much about it to be honest, but if you were to use it for competitions I would avoid putting it in the washing machine.

Final statement

Overall a quality girth for the amount that I spent on it. I will probably save up to buy the Mattes one next time as this comes with elastic around the buckles and it’s in black which I personally think is prettier.